Choke
Choke is the eighteenth episode of Glee's third season, and the sixty-second episode overall. This episode aired on May 1, 2012. Filming this episode ended on April 11, 2012. It was written by Marti Noxon and directed by Michael Uppendahl. Plot With their auditions for NYADA coming up, Rachel is focused and determined, while Kurt has a difficult time deciding what song to perform. Although he sings The Music of the Night by The Phantom of the Opera ''well, he believes he has a better chance with ''Not the Boy Next Door from The Boy from Oz. Kurt performs The Music of the Night for Blaine with Tina as Christine. Blaine applauded the song and listened to Kurt when Kurt was talking about how he needs to be his best. Blaine mumbles "Oh God, no. No more candles." Rachel advises him that this is not the time to take a risk, and convinces him to go with "The Music of the Night". While waiting in the wings for their audition, Rachel reveals that they will be auditioning for Carmen Tibideaux, a famous and exacting performer who is one of NYADA's most notorious alumnae and a newly appointed dean at the school. At the last minute Kurt decides to sing "Not the Boy Next Door", a song he claims is "something a little more out there, but much more me". Tibideaux is impressed by both his performance and the risk he took, saying Hugh Jackman himself would've been impressed as she was. Rachel sings'' Don't Rain on My Parade, but she forgets the lyrics and starts over. After she stumbles again on her second attempt, Rachel is devastated when Carmen ends the audition and leaves the auditorium. Roz Washington overhears Santana making jokes about the origin of Coach Beiste's black eye and informs the girls that domestic violence is not a laughing matter. She teams up with her Sue and with Beiste—who explains that she was hit by a speed bag—to teach the girls a lesson about domestic violence, and Sue assigns them to sing a song about women getting out of abusive relations. The girls later perform ''Cell Block Tango, and Sue and Roz inform them that they completely missed the point of the assignment. Beiste, who walked out on the performance, tells Sue and Roz that Cooter actually did hit her when he was drunk and she hadn't done the dishes. She explains that she does not want to leave him out of fear that no one will love her again; Sue insists that Beiste stay at her place that night, but Beiste opts to go to her sister instead. Beiste then reveals the truth about her black eye to the girls. The girls admire the courage that Beiste has shown and sing Shake It Out for her; but she does not reveal that she has given Cooter another chance. Finn is worried that Puck will not graduate. Puck tells Finn that he only needs to pass a European geography test to graduate, and that he plans to flirt with his teacher, Mrs. Doosenbury, to secure a passing grade. However, she rejects his overtures, telling him to study instead, and Puck decides to drop out of school. Later, while Puck is cleaning a client's swimming pool, his father—who he has not heard from in five years—shows up and asks Puck for $500 to pay his rent. Realizing that he does not want to turn out like his father, who is also a high school dropout, Puck enlists the other glee club males to help him pass his test. After studying with them all night, he takes the test, and tells them afterward that he feels confident about his effort. However, he fails the test; his future remains uncertain. Songs *'The Music of the Night' from The Phantom of the Opera. Sung by Kurt. (Unreleased) *'School’s Out 'by Alice Cooper. Sung by Puck. *'Cell Block Tango' from Chicago. Sung by Tina, Mercedes, Santana, Sugar and Brittany. *'Not the Boy Next Door' from The Boy From Oz. Sung by Kurt with Mercedes, Tina and Brittany. *'Don't Rain On My Parade' from Funny Girl. Sung by Rachel. (Season 1 version) (Unreleased) *'The Rain in Spain' from My Fair Lady. Sung by Puck, Finn, Blaine & Mike with New Directions Boys (except Kurt). *'Shake It Out' by Florence + The Machine. Sung by Tina, Santana and Mercedes. *'Cry' by Kelly Clarkson. Sung by Rachel. Guest Stars Special Guest Star *Whoopi Goldberg as Carmen Tibideaux Guest Cast *Dot-Marie Jones as Shannon Beiste *Chord Overstreet as Sam Evans *NeNe Leakes as Roz Washington *Thomas Calabro as Mr. Puckerman *Samuel Larsen as Joe Hart *Vanessa Lengies as Sugar Motta *Damian McGinty as Rory Flanagan *Eric Bruskotter as Cooter Menkins *Kathleen M. Darcy as Eleanor Doosenbury *Rebecca Staab as Mrs. Collins Absent Cast Members *Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray *Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury Trivia *11th time in Glee where a song is re-sung **The First was'' Don't Stop Believin''' sung in Pilot and re-sung in The Rhodes Not Taken, Sectionals then re-sung again in Journey **The Second was You're The One That I Want sung in Pilot and re-sung Hairography and Glease **The Third was Proud Mary sung in Wheels and Sectionals **The Fourth was And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going both sung in Sectionals **The Fifth was''All By Myself'' sung in Showmance and The Night of Neglect **The Sixth was Big Spender ''in Dream On then The Purple Piano Project **The Seventh was ''Tonight ''in Preggers and The First Time **The Eight was I Kissed a Girl'' in Pilot and then in I Kissed a Girl **''That's the Way (I Like It)/(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty'' First used in Pilot (Director's Cut) and then in Saturday Night Glee-ver **This time'' Don't Rain On My Parade'' is re-used, first being sung in Sectionals **''No Air'' was used in Throwdown twice. *First time Puck has sung since Extraordinary Merry Christmas and the first time he is featured in a full song since Yes/No. *First time since Pilot that Kurt sings a Broadway song that was actually written for a boy. *When helping Kurt as back-up, Tina, Mercedes, and Brittany are wearing their first Regionals dresses. *Second time the New Directions makes fun of Coach Beiste and apologizes through a song. The first one is in the episode Never Been Kissed. *Fifth time in a row the final performance is in the auditorium. First in On My Way with'' Here's To Us, in Big Brother with ''Somebody That I Used To Know, in Saturday Night Glee-ver with Stayin' Alive, in Dance With Somebody with My Love Is Your Love ''and now in Choke with ''Cry. *Second time this season that Will doesn't give the assignment. The first was the Lady Music Week Assignment that Finn gave. *First time Quinn remains completely absent from an episode. *Brad isn't playing the piano during Shake It Out, an unknown cast member is. *This episode drew a 2.5 rating 18 - 49 with 6.01 million total viewers. . Source *The scene where Rachel choked came from Lea's fear during the Glee Concert Tour. Lea claimed that she used to call the exec producer, Dante Di Loreto, and said to him that she was going to mess up one night and she was scared if it had happened. *The Clothes Tina wears during The Music of the Night is what she wore during the You and I/You and I performance in Mash Off. *Third time that something bad happens to Rachel in the 18th episode, she suffers from tonsillitis in Laryngitis, Finn breaks her nose in Born This Way and chokes during her NYADA audition in Choke. *This episode earned Dot-Marie Jones (Shannon Beiste) a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Errors *Puck's test answers are rewritten when he receives the test back. *During School's Out, Puck is singing but his lips aren't moving in some parts. *Rachel said that she was singing Don't Rain On My Parade since she was 2, but on Glee season 1 Sectionals, she said she was singing it since she was 4. (Probably an exaggeration on her behalf) *Just before'' Cry, Rachel hugs Kurt and is seen wearing a dark nail polish. But in the auditorium, while performing on the stage, her nails are seen to have plain nail polish instead. *In the beginning of the episode, Rachel mentions that she won't drink any milk, as it makes her "too phlemmy". However, she is a vegan and doesn't drink milk. But she could have been instead referring to almond, soya, oat or rice milk, which she would drink like normal milk being vegan. *When Finn is explaining the "plan of attack" on Puck, he accidentally points at Puck's stick figure instead of his own when he says "Blaine, Mike and myself" *During the performance ''The Music of the Night, Tina suddenly stands on her feet when she was sitting. (After Kurt says "the music that I write"). *In the beginning of'' Not the Boy Next Door'' performance Rachel sits in the audience next to Blaine and Will with bangs and a black dress when moments previously she was with curly hair and a white dress. The change would be impossible in such a small period of time. (Although she was wearing a wig ready to come on in Not The Boy Next Door but she is ready for Don't Rain On My Parade) Navigational Category:Episodes Category:Season Three Episodes